MO lawmakers outline oral chemotherapy measure

Missouri health care groups pressed state lawmakers Wednesday to bar insurers from charging higher co-payments and deductibles for chemotherapy medication taken in pill form, saying it would allow many patients to avoid having to go to a hospital or doctor's office for intravenous treatments. A proposed bill would require insurance companies to charge the same fees for chemotherapy pills as they do for intravenous treatment. Insurers can charge higher fees for orally-taken treatments even if they are the only ones available, according to the American Cancer Society. "The goal would be that a person battling cancer could still go to work every day, support their families and live a normal life," said Rep. Sheila Solon, R-Blue Springs, one of the measure's sponsors.